2006 Ford Explorer

1. THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE ARE SIMPLE. IT WAS A QUIET SATURDAY AFTERNOON (4:30 PM ON 7/18/09). I WAS ON A TWO WAY STREET ON THE WAY TO MY SWEETHEART'S HOUSE IN OVERLAND PARK, KS . I WAS GOING AT ABOUT 25 MPH. THERE WAS ONE OTHER CAR IN MY VISION ABOUT 75 FEET BEHIND ME. NO ONE WAS COMING AT ME. TO MY RIGHT WAS AN EMPTY BASEBALL DIAMOND FOR THE LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL AND TO MY LEFT WAS A LARGE ( AT LEAST 10 FEET TALL) CONCRETE WALL ENCLOSING AN UPSCALE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT. 2. WITHOUT WARNING I HEAR AN EXPLOSION FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY SHATTERING GLASS FROM MY SUNROOF CASCADING DOWN UPON ME. THE EXPLOSION WAS JUST THE SOUND OF THE SUNROOF SHATTERING. AS GOD IS MY WITNESS, I SWEAR TT JUST SHATTERED FROM CAUSES BEYOND MY KNOWLEDGE. 3. THE FOLLOWING MONDAY MORNING I TOOK IT TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP WHERE I HAD PURCHASED IT AND REPLACED THE SUNROOF. MY BUMPER-TO-BUMPER WARRANTY WAS STILL IN FORCE BUT FORD MOTOR REFUSED TO HONE UP ON THIS ONE. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THAT FORD DOESN'T KNOW BUT WHAT IT WAS SHOT OUT ACCIDENTALLY BROKEN OUT OR IF SOMEONE HAD PUT THEIR FIST THROUGH IT. THE STRANGE THING WAS THE SUNROOF GLASS THAT WAS STILL IN THE SUNROOF FRAME WAS ANGLING UPWARD AS IF IT HAD BEEN STRUCK FROM INSIDE. THE SERVICE MANAGER POINTED THIS OUT TO ME. THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP DID SPLIT THE COST OF REPLACEMENT WITH ME THOUGH. *TR

2006 FORD EXPLORER SPORADICALLY DOES NOT SPEED UP WHEN YOU HIT THE ACCELERATOR. FORD APPARENTLY KNOWS ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND HAS A SOFTWARE FIX IN PLACE THAT YOU MUST PROACTIVELY CONTACT THEM ON...IN OTHER WORDS, YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE PROBLEM ON THE ROAD AND CALL THEM BEFORE THEY WILL DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. IT OCCURS EVERYTIME WE DRIVE THE CAR, HOWEVER, IT IS NOT CONSISTENT WHEN IT OCCURS OR HOW OFTEN...AT TIMES IT HAPPENS THE ENTIRE TIME THE CAR IS BEING DRIVEN. THE CONSEQUENCES ARE THAT YOU CAN BE DRIVING 10MPH OR 70MPH AND WHEN YOU HIT THE ACCELERATOR, THE CAR ENGINE WILL REV UP MUCH LIKE YOU WERE SITTING IN NEUTRAL (I.E. IT DOES NOT SPEED UP) AND AFTER A FEW SECONDS WILL KICK INTO GEAR/ENGAGE AND START SPEEDING UP. THIS SEEMS VERY DANGEROUS IF YOU WERE NOT EXPECTING THIS TO OCCUR AND WERE TRYING TO PASS A CAR WITH POSSIBLE ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THIS ISSUE SHOULD REQUIRE FORD TO RECALL THE VEHICLES BEFORE SOMEBODY GETS INJURED, IF THEY HAVE NOT ALREADY BEEN. *TR

I AM CURRENTLY HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE THE RADIATOR IS LEAKING, AND I HAVE TO CHECK THE WATER LEVEL IN THE VEHICLE EVERY TWO DAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT I DO NOT COMPLETELY RUN THE VEHICLE HOT AND TAKE THE CHANCES NOT HAVING A VEHICLE BY MESSING THE MOTOR UP. THIS PROBLEM STARTED JUST BEFORE I MADE MY FIRST PAYMENT ON THE 2006 FORD EXPLORER (MAY 25TH) THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO MAKING A LOUD NOISE LIKE A FAN CONTINUOUSLY RUNNING WHENEVER I WOULD COME TO A COMPLETE STOP AND START MOVING AGAIN. THEN ONE DAY THE AIR CONDITIONER JUST STOP BLOWING COLD AIR AND THE TEMPERATURE GAGE STARTED TO RISE TO HOT MY HUSBAND CHECKED THE RADIATOR AND FOUND THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED WATER BAD. WE HAVE NOTICED WATER UNDER THE TRUCK BUT WE THOUGHT THAT IT FROM THE AIR CONDITIONER THE WATER UNDER THE TRUCK IS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE RADIATOR HAS A LEAK. WE HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE BATTERY ON THE CAR AS WELL THIS COST $79.00 THIS HAD ME LATE FOR WORK AS I DID NOT FIND OUT THE BATTERY WAS DEAD UNTIL I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK ONE MORNING. I HAVE CHECK TO SEE JUST HOW MUCH THIS IS GOING TO COST ME TO HAVE THE RADIATOR REPLACED AND IT IS IN THE BALL PARK OF $400 -600. *TR

THE FILLING OF GAS IN THE VEHICLE IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE- THE GAS SHUTS OFF EVERY 2-3 GALLONS THEN SPITS GAS BACK OUT ALL OVER THE PERSON TRYING TO FILL IT. RESULTING IN GAS BEING SPILLED OUT EVERYWHERE ON THE VEHICLE, THE DRIVER, THE GROUND. THIS BEGAN HAPPENING EVERY FEW TIMES GETTING GAS AND NOW IT IS EVERYTIME. I LOOKED THIS UP ONLINE TO FIND A TSB 07-25-3 PROBLEM ACCOMPANIED BY DTC P0451 SAYING THIS HAPPENS ALOT ON FORD EXPLORERS BUILT BEFORE 11/27/07. I CALLED THE FORD DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT THEY SAID THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. THAT THE EVAP CANISTER AND VAPOR LINE WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED. WHY IS THIS NOT A RECALL? IT'S NOT SAFE TO HAVE GAS SPRAYED ON YOU AND THE CAR AND GROUND EVERYTIME YOU TRY TO GET GAS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONCERN. *TR

BOUGHT A 2006 EXPLORER IN DEC. 06 AND HAVE SINCE NOTICED SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH IT. THE MOST CONCERNING IS WHEN THE CAR LUNGES/JERKS FORWARD WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK/REVERSE TO DRIVE. IT IS NOW ALSO STARTING TO SHOW A LOSS OF POWER WHEN SHIFTING THROUGH GEARS AS THE ENGINE REVS BUT GOES NO WHERE. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER FOR THE LUNGIN/JERKING AND THEY TOLD ME THEY COULD NOT FEEL IT. IT HAPPENS SPORADICALLY SO THIS DOES NOT SURPRISE ME. I HAVE RECENTLY BEEN NOTICING THIS REVVING AND LOSS OF POWER WHEN SHIFTING GEARS (IT'S AN AUTOMATIC). I HAVE TAKEN IT TO TWO MECHANICS BOTH OF WITH AGREED THAT THE REVVING NOISE IS COMING FROM THE FAN CLUTCH, NOT SURE WHAT THIS IS, BUT COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE LOSS OF POWER. I'M SURE THAT THIS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM, AFTER READING THE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ON WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM. IT APPEARS AT THIS TIME THAT THE ONLY THING THAT HAS BEEN OFFERED TO THE CUSTOMER LIKE ME, IS REPROGRAM THE COMPUTER WHICH RUNS $150. THIS REPROGRAM SEEMS TO HELP ONLY SOMETIMES. THE ALTERNATIVE WOULD BE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION WHICH IS VERY COSTLY AND FUNDING IS NOT EASY TO COME BY THESE DAYS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD EXPLORER. IN MARCH OF 2006, THE VEHICLE MADE A GRINDING NOISE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN FOR SERVICE AT LEAST 8 OR MORE TIMES BETWEEN MARCH OF 2006 AND OCTOBER OF 2006. IN OCTOBER OF 2006, THE BRAKES FAILED AND THE CONTACT REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE AT 25 MPH. SHE WOKE UP IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM DUE TO INJURIES SHE SUSTAINED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT HAS DOCUMENTATION THAT SHE WILL MAIL IN PERTAINING TO THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHENEVER THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTED INTO REVERSE, IT WOULD JOLT BACK EXTREMELY HARD. THE FAILURE ALMOST CAUSED THE CONTACT TO SUSTAIN A WHIPLASH. THE FAILURE OCCURRED NEARLY EVERY TIME SHE SHIFTED INTO REVERSE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPROGRAMMED. SHE PLANNED TO THE VEHICLE REPAIRED IN THE LATTER PART OF JUNE 2009. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED HER TO CALL NHTSA AND FILE A COMPLAINT. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 78,244 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 75,000.